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Seattle is growing. How do we make room for new housing and create the kind of city we want to live in? Seattle Mayor Harrell’s newly released Comprehensive Plan Major Update draft reflects the administration’s best take on how we should grow the city over the next 20 years, how we understand and mitigate the impacts of growth, and how we guide future investments in infrastructure, transportation, housing and climate...
Rian Watt, pictured here with Elliott Bay and the Seattle Skyline. He wears a Mariners hat.

Spring Member Drive: We’ve Come a Long Way in 10 Years

In 10 years, our region’s political landscape has shifted dramatically toward the positions The Urbanist has held since the beginning. Join this member drive to grow our momentum and our movement.

Studying New SLU Light Rail Options Could Cost $500 Million or...

Should Sound Transit spend an additional 10 months studying tweaks to stations in the South Lake Union area? The Sound Transit board is set to make that decision in May.
The Bellevue transit center is ringed by towers and a construction project adding another.

An Urbanist Guide of Things to Do in Downtown Bellevue

If you're detraining at Downtown Bellevue Station and looking for entertainment and sustenance beyond malls and without burning a crater in your...

Sunday Video: The 2 Line (East Link) Is Officially Open (Partially)

On Saturday, the new Link 2 Line officially opened between South Bellevue and Redmond Technology Stations to much fanfare. Best Side Cycling...
Looking at the microsoft campus from the redmond technology station

East Link TOD: Microsoft Grows Around Redmond Technology Station, If Not...

A huge Microsoft Campus "Refresh" redevelopment is underway next door to Redmond Technology Station. It will add three million square feet of office space, but not much housing and no highrises.

Everything to Know About Sound Transit’s 2 Line, Launching This Weekend

The Eastside will have light rail service for the first time, as East Link launches Saturday. The Urbanist has everything you need to know about this momentous occasion.
An evening shot of Esterra Park on NE Turing St

East Link TOD: Overlake Takes Shape for Station Opening

More than 8,000 homes have either been completed in the past decade or are in development near Overlake Station, on the southern edge of Microsoft's megacampus.

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Join The Urbanist for an East Link Opening Party

If you’ve been waiting for this as long as we have, please join us to celebrate, ride East Link, and come hang out at our afterparty at Goose Pub for beverages and food with fellow urbanists on April 27.
An Urbanist banner standing in a corner of a brewery with a few dozen people gathered chatting.

Join The Urbanist for Our Monthly Meetup on April 18

Our in-person meetup is at Stoup Capitol Hill every third Thursday of the month from 5:30pm to 7ish. On April 18, we'll again discuss the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
A few dozen people gather at Westlake Park for The Urbanist's Center City walking tour.

Get Plugged In with The Urbanist’s New Local Events Calendar

The Urbanist’s new Local Events Calendar is the one-stop shop for finding events from a variety of organizations across the region. Readers can subscribe to the calendar so they never miss an opportunity to connect.

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The Urbanist is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. We depend on donations from readers like you to sustain our work. Subscribe as a monthly donor or make a one-time donation to help us grow.

The Bellevue transit center is ringed by towers and a construction project adding another.

An Urbanist Guide of Things to Do in Downtown Bellevue

If you're detraining at Downtown Bellevue Station and looking for entertainment and sustenance beyond malls and without burning a crater in your wallet at...
Looking at the microsoft campus from the redmond technology station

East Link TOD: Microsoft Grows Around Redmond Technology Station, If Not...

A huge Microsoft Campus "Refresh" redevelopment is underway next door to Redmond Technology Station. It will add three million square feet of office space, but not much housing and no highrises.

Everything to Know About Sound Transit’s 2 Line, Launching This Weekend

The Eastside will have light rail service for the first time, as East Link launches Saturday. The Urbanist has everything you need to know about this momentous occasion.

More Eastside Coverage posts »

Op-Ed: Building the Seattle We Want with the Growth We’ll Have

Seattle is growing. How do we make room for new housing and create the kind of city we want to live in? Seattle Mayor Harrell’s...
An aerial photo of a boulevard with port cranes and Elliott Bay in the distance.

Planners Proposed Bigger Upzones Before Harrell’s Team Intervened, Records Show

A paper trail from fall 2023 shows that Mayor Harrell's office overruled his planning department and cut transit corridor upzones and halved the number of proposed "neighborhood centers" before release of the growth strategy.
Photo of Rian Watt wearing a t-shirt from the National Civil Rights museum and an unbuttoned button down shirt. He is smiling slightly.

Urbanist Leader Rian Watt Talks Housing Crisis on Hacks & Wonks...

The Urbanist's Executive Director Rian Watt appeared on Crystal Fincher's Hacks and Wonks podcast on April 9 to talk about the housing crisis. He offered three fixes for the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.

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Transportation

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Land Use/Housing

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Commentary

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A view of a sunset over a lake with a pier in it.

The Urbanist Podcast: Vote Up to the End

It's time to vote for Seattle City Council, a housing levy, and elected positions all over King County. The Urbanist has published its general...

Guest Podcast: Recycling America’s Railroads into Trails

The Urbanist Podcast is on summer break so we thought we'd share with you a guest podcast on a topic near and dear to...
A photo of King County ballot drop box on a sunny day.

The Urbanist Podcast: All About 2023 Primary Endorsements

Primary election ballots are arriving in the mail and due by August 1st. In the run up The Urbanist Elections Committee has been hard...

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